1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel filler lid opener, which restrains the opening operation of a fuel filler lid provided at a supply section, and relates to a fuel gas filling system, for a vehicle to which a fuel gas is supplied by connecting a fuel gas filler nozzle to the supply section.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-314146, filed Oct. 29, 2002, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-316131, filed Oct. 30, 2002, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, fuel cell vehicles and electrical vehicles have been developed for pratical use. As an example of such fuel cell vehicles, a type of vehicle is known in which driving power is generated through electrochemical reaction of a fuel gas, such as hydrogen, with an oxidizing gas, such as air. In such a vehicle, the fuel gas is stored in a fuel gas container installed in the vehicle. As an example of supplying a fuel gas into a fuel gas container, a process may be conceived which includes the steps of connecting a fuel gas filler nozzle, which is connected to an external fuel gas filling station, to a fuel gas filler receptacle (a supply section) provided in the vehicle, and supplying the fuel gas from the fuel gas filling station into the fuel gas container, as in the case for a vehicle fueled by natural gas. This process is similar to a process for charging a battery in the case of an electrical vehicle, which includes the steps of connecting an electrical energy supply connector of an external charging device to a charging terminal (a supply section) provided in the electrical vehicle, and supplying electrical energy from the external charging device to the battery.
In contrast to a fuel supply nozzle in the case of a gasoline vehicle, which is simply inserted to supply fuel, the supply section provided for supplying a fuel gas or electrical energy must firmly hold the fuel gas filler nozzle or the electrical energy supply connector so that the fuel gas filler nozzle or the electrical energy supply connector will not be easily disconnected. Accordingly, if the vehicle moves while the fuel gas filler nozzle or the electrical energy supply connector is connected, elements for connection may be broken. In order to avoid such problems, systems have been proposed in which an open or closed state of a fuel lid provided in a supply section is sensed and the vehicle is maintained stationary by holding the shift position in the vehicle when the fuel lid is open, and on the other hand, opening of the fuel lid is restrained when the vehicle is stationary (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 09-322313, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-351667, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 09-086195)
Such a system is superior in view of preventing an erroneous movement of the vehicle during filling or charging; however, the system is complicated; therefore, a simpler system is desired.
In addition, when a fuel gas is to be supplied, static electrical charge must be dissipated before connecting the fuel gas filler nozzle to the fuel gas filler receptacle. To this end, a proposal has been made in which a ground connection portion is provided in the vehicle in addition to the fuel gas filler receptacle, and the ground connection portion is connected to a ground line of a fuel gas filling station for dissipating static electrical charge. In this case, the ground line of the fuel gas filling station must be connected to the ground connection portion provided in the vehicle before connecting the fuel gas filler nozzle to the fuel gas filler receptacle, and a system may be required in which the connection between the ground line and the ground connection portion of the vehicle is detected, and the connection of the fuel gas filler nozzle to the fuel gas filler receptacle is permitted only when the connection is detected.
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel gas filling system, at a low cost, which retrains opening of a fuel lid when the vehicle is not stationary.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel gas filling system for a gas-fueled vehicle, at a low cost, which maintains the gas-fueled vehicle in a stationary state when the filler lid thereof is open, and restrains opening of the filler lid when the gas-fueled vehicle is not stationary, and which also allows connection of a fuel gas filler nozzle to a fuel gas filler receptacle only after a grounding line of a fuel gas filling station is connected to the ground connection portion of the gas-fueled vehicle.
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a fuel gas filling system for a vehicle having a supply section which allows a fuel gas filler nozzle to be connected thereto, and a fuel lid which is operable to be opened or closed for covering the supply section, the fuel gas filling system including: an opening operation section to which an opening operation for the fuel lid is applied; an operation wire, which is provided between the opening operation section and the fuel lid, for making the fuel lid respond to the opening operation applied to the opening operation section; and a locking device having a movable element connected to the operation wire, a fixed element for supporting the movable element in a manner movable with the operation wire, a lock pin for restraining movement of the movable element by being inserted into the fixed element and the movable element, and an actuator for making the lock pin to be engaged with or disengaged from the fixed element and the movable element, wherein the actuator is adapted to make the lock pin to be engaged with the fixed element and the movable element when the vehicle is not stationary.
According to the above configuration, when the vehicle is not stationary, the lock pin is engaged with the fixed element and the movable element by the actuator in the locking device, and the movement of the movable element with respect to the fixed element is restrained, and thus the operation of the operation wire is restrained; therefore, the opening operation applied to the opening operation section is made ineffective, and the opening of the fuel lid is restrained, accordingly.
The present invention provides another fuel gas filling system for a vehicle having a fuel gas filler receptacle which allows a fuel gas filler nozzle to be connected thereto, a fuel lid which is operable to be opened or closed for covering the fuel gas filler receptacle, a ground connection section which allows a ground connection line to be connected thereto, and a ground connection lid which is operable to be opened or closed for covering the ground connection section, the fuel gas filling system including: an opening operation section which is provided in a portion that is covered by the ground connection lid in a closed state, and to which an opening operation for the fuel lid is applied; an operation wire, which is provided between the opening operation section and the fuel lid, for making the fuel lid respond to the opening operation applied to the opening operation section; and a locking device having a movable element connected to the operation wire, a fixed element for supporting the movable element in a manner movable with the operation wire, a lock pin for restraining movement of the movable element by being inserted into the fixed element and the movable element, and an actuator for making the lock pin to be engaged with or disengaged from the fixed element and the movable element, wherein the actuator is adapted to make the lock pin to be engaged with the fixed element and the movable element when the vehicle is not stationary.
According to the above configuration, because the opening operation section is provided in a portion that is covered by the ground connection lid in a closed state, the opening operation of the fuel lid can be applied to the operation section only after exposing the ground connection section, and thus the connection of the ground connection line to the ground connection section can be ensured.
In addition, when the vehicle is not stationary, the lock pin is engaged with the fixed element and the movable element by the actuator in the locking device, and the movement of the movable element with respect to the fixed element is restrained, and thus the operation of the operation wire is restrained; therefore, the opening operation applied to the opening operation section is made ineffective, and the opening of the fuel lid is restrained, accordingly.
The present invention further provides a fuel gas filling system for a gas-fueled vehicle having a fuel gas filler receptacle which allows a fuel gas filler nozzle to be connected thereto, a fuel filler lid which is operable to be opened or closed for covering the fuel gas filler receptacle, a ground connection section which allows a ground connection line to be connected thereto, and a ground connection lid which is operable to be opened or closed for covering the ground connection section, the fuel gas filling system comprising: a ground connection lid opening operation section to which an opening operation for the ground connection lid is applied; a fuel filler lid opening operation section which is provided in a portion that is covered by the ground connection lid in a closed state, and to which an opening operation for the fuel filler lid is applied; and an operating device for making the fuel filler lid respond to the opening operation applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section; and a restraining device which is adapted to permit opening of the fuel filler lid by the opening operation applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section when the gas-fueled vehicle is stationary, and to restrain opening of the fuel filler lid by the opening operation applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section when the gas-fueled vehicle is not stationary.
According to the above configuration, because the fuel filler lid opening operation section is provided in a portion that is covered by the ground connection lid in a closed state, the opening operation of the ground connection lid must be applied to the ground connection lid opening operation section before applying the opening operation for the fuel filler lid; therefore, the connection of the ground connection line to the ground connection section can be ensured.
Moreover, when the gas-fueled vehicle is not stationary, the opening of the fuel filler lid through the opening operation applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section is restrained by the restraining degrees. In addition, when the gas-fueled vehicle is stationary, the fuel filler lid can be opened, via the operating device, by applying an opening operation to the fuel filler lid opening operation section.
In the above fuel gas filling system, the operating device may include an operation wire provided between the fuel filler lid opening operation section and the fuel filler lid, and the restraining device may include a locking device which is adapted to make the operation of the operation wire to be possible or impossible, or to make the operation of the operation wire to be effective or ineffective.
According to the above configuration, when the gas-fueled vehicle is not stationary, the operation of the operation wire is made impossible or ineffective by the locking device; therefore, the opening of the fuel filler lid can be mechanically restrained even if an opening operation is applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section. On the other hand, when the gas-fueled vehicle is stationary, the operation of the operation wire is made possible or effective; therefore, the fuel filler lid can be opened through the opening operation applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section.
Alternatively, the operating device may include a switching section which allows electricity to flow through when the opening operation is applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section, and a coil section which allows the fuel filler lid to be opened by being supplied with excitation electricity when electricity flows through the switching section, and the restraining device may include a relay circuit which is adapted to make the switching section and the coil section to be connected to or disconnected from each other.
According to the above configuration, when the gas-fueled vehicle is not stationary, the switching section is disconnected from the coil section by the relay circuit; therefore, the excitation electricity is not applied to the coil section, and thus the opening of the fuel filler lid can be electricity restrained even if an opening operation is applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section. On the other hand, when the gas-fueled vehicle is stationary, the switching section is connected to the coil section by the relay circuit; therefore, the excitation electricity is applied to the coil section through the opening operation applied to the fuel filler lid opening operation section, and the fuel filler lid can be opened.
The fuel gas filling system may further include an opening sensor for sensing whether the fuel filler lid is open or closed, and the gas-fueled vehicle may be maintained stationary when it is determined by the opening sensor that the fuel filler lid is open.
According to the above configuration, when it is determined that the fuel filler lid is open, the gas-fueled vehicle is maintained stationary; therefore, the gas-fueled vehicle can be reliably prevented from moving during a filling operation of the fuel gas.
The fuel gas filling system may further include an opening sensor for sensing whether the fuel filler lid is open or closed, and, when it is determined by the opening sensor that the fuel filler lid is open, the gas-fueled vehicle may be maintained stationary, and the excitation electricity may not be supplied to the coil section.
According to the above configuration, when it is determined that the fuel filler lid is open, the gas-fueled vehicle is maintained stationary; therefore, the gas-fueled vehicle can be reliably prevented from moving during a filling operation of the fuel gas.
In addition, when it is determined that the fuel filler lid is open, the excitation electricity will not be supplied to the coil section; therefore, the excitation electricity will not continuously flow through the coil section.